Dr James Worral provides background to the proposed Jordanian hostage swap and the ongoing threat of Daesh/Islamic State

Dr James Worral examines the ongoing threat of Daesh/Islamic state and gives background to the current Jordanian hostage situation in a recent piece featured on The Conversation.

In an article entitled 'Prisoners and politics: Islamic State, Jordan and tribal power' Dr James Worral, Lecturer in International Relations and Middle East Studies, examines the ongoing threat of Daesh/Islamic state and gives background to the current Jordanian hostage situation in a recent piece featured on The Conversation.

Dr Worral states, "Coalition airstrikes have had a significant effect on Daesh. Its momentum has largely been stunted and it has been forced to change tactics. The recent retaking of the city of Kobane by Kurdish and FSA fighters with significant aerial support from the coalition was clearly a real propaganda loss for Daesh leader Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi’s so-called caliphate.

The upsurge in pressure applied by Daesh as it paraded its Japanese hostages looks like a classic effort to take hold of the news agenda, while the attempt to use the Jordanian pilot is clearly designed to endanger the unity of the coalition and humiliate the Jordanian government. If successful, this would strike a symbolic blow in the fight against the aerial campaign against which Daesh is otherwise powerless."